WORCESTER, Mass. – After a scoreless first half, the Worcester State Lancers came out striking in the second, as senior Alicia Macomber (Stoughton, Mass.) freshman Nikki DiPilla (Sterling, Mass.), and junior Kendal Bergenholtz (Grafton, Mass.) came through with three Lancers goals for the 3-0 win in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) semifinal game against the Framingham State Rams on Friday (Nov. 6) at John F. Coughlin Field.
The Lancers will continue onto the MASCAC Championship game on Sunday (Nov. 8) at John F. Coughlin Field, as they will square up against Westfield State for a 12 p.m. game time. Framingham State's season came to a conclusion tonight, as they marked an 11-7-2 winning record on the 2015 season.
Possession in the first half was pretty equal as Framingham State tallied six shots, and Worcester State totaled five. The Rams were the first of the two to take a shot on the night as junior defender, Angela Pallotta (Sterling, Mass.) took a free kick on the right side, about 30-yards out, and placed the ball on goal. Though, Worcester State's goaltender, Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.), made a great stop for her first save on the night.
Worcester State powered back with a direct kick from Macomber, but the shot was just wide. Each team had other opportunities to score in the first half, but the defense was strong and didn't permit either team to put a number up on the scoreboard.
After halftime, the Lancers came out firing just a minute in, when freshman forward Jenna Martin (Salem, N.H.) arched the ball in the air, and Macomber was able to get a touch and shot on goal about 15-yards out. Macomber drilled the ball into the top left corner of the net and gave the Lancers the 1-0 lead.
Just one minute later, in the 47th minute, DiPilla found herself with Framingham State's goalie down and an open goal central 15-yards out. She was able to take a shot on an open goal and place the Lancers up 2-0 on the Rams.
In the 77th minute, the Lancers widened their lead with an unassisted goal by Bergenhotlz. Bergenholtz dribbled down the left side of the field and snuck a ball past Framingham's senior goalkeeper, Sara Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.) to close the game out with a 3-0 win.
Witkowski recorded her 10th win of the season and registered seven saves on the night. Sullivan took the loss for the Rams, as she logged six saves in her 90 minutes of play.
Palotta led the Rams in shots with four on goal, while Bergenholtz led the Lancers with four (two on goal).